Kross Protocol is moving to expand its ecosystem ahead of a mainnet 2.0 upgrade by bringing on H Lab, a blockchain-focused company in the Neowiz group, as an independent validator.

Kross Protocol said on May 15 it signed a memorandum of understanding with H Lab, the crypto unit of Neowiz Holdings, to cooperate on network operations.

The agreement centres on H Lab joining as an operator of an independent validator node for Kross Protocol. A validator refers to an entity that verifies transactions and participates in block production on a blockchain network.

H Lab, based on Al Reem Island in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, has served as a validator across various proof-of-stake networks. It has handled network maintenance and operations, including transaction verification, staking and participation in governance.

Based on its own node operation technology, it has built up more than 8 years of incident-free operating experience across more than 20 blockchain networks, including Ethereum, EigenLayer, Cosmos and Kaia. It is leading new innovation in various fields, including blockchain infrastructure and crypto artificial intelligence, based on its proven infrastructure operating capabilities.

Kross Protocol is continuing cooperation to further advance network decentralisation and expand its global validator ecosystem ahead of the June 1 mainnet 2.0 “Breakpoint” upgrade.

The core of the Breakpoint upgrade is shifting from a holding-centred structure to a participation-based network. It recorded about 98 percent approval in a governance vote, and block rewards have already been accumulating since April 15. Under a structure that converts 60 percent of reserve volume into staking rewards, it aims for an economic design that favours long-term participants.

Jang Hyun-kuk (장현국), CEO of Nexth, said expanding the independent validator ecosystem ahead of the mainnet 2.0 upgrade is key to further advancing network decentralisation. He said Kross Protocol’s reliability and stability will be strengthened further as more specialised infrastructure companies like H Lab participate.